Afghanistan and Pakistan flood

Updated: 3/19/2019 4:22:41 AMAt least 10 more people died following flash floods in western Afghanistan, authorities said Tuesday. At least 10 people were killed in flash floods in surrounding areas of Zinda Jan, Robat Sangi districts of western Herat province as well as on the outskirts of provincial capital Herat city late Monday and overnight, a local official told Xinhua. Thousands of acres of agricultural land and hundreds of houses were also damaged, the official said, adding further details will be shared with media later in the day.Source: DORRIS

Updated: 3/16/2019 7:22:28 AMAccording to ACAPS (Assessment Capacities Project), the death toll stands at 70 as of March 13. A further 111 000 people live in areas of high risk and may be affected as rains resume in the coming days. More than 16 000 houses were swept away and 8 670 damaged with approximately 250 000 people affected.
The storm that hit Kandahar city and the districts of Zheri, Dand, Damand, Arghandab, Spinboldak and Takhtapu at the beginning of March dropped 97 mm of rain in just 30 hours. This region has a desert climate with about 176 mm of rain in an entire year.Source: DORRIS

Updated: 3/7/2019 1:45:10 AMAn update shared by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said nearly 1,500 families had been rescued by Pakistan Army aviation helicopters in Dureji (Lasbela) and Qila Abdullah areas. Also, rations have been provided to some 3,500 families in the rain-affected areas of the province.
According to the ISPR, the army aviation helicopters have been busy in rescuing stranded people and shifting them to safer places. "Pakistan Army doctors and paramedics [are] providing first aid, medical assistance and medicines," the statement added. It said relief camps had been established in Makran, Lasbela and the snow-covered areas of northern Balochistan.Source: DORRIS

Published Wednesday, March 6, 2019

As of March 5, the death toll reached 50 people, dozens of people were injured and at least 10 remain missing. At least 25 people were reported dead in Pakistan, 20 in Afghanistan and 5 in eastern Iran.

In Afghanistan's province of Kandahar, at least 13 people have lost their lives and more than 1 000 homes, patches of land, schools, mosques and government buildings have been damaged.

A further 10 people, including children and those from the Kochi (nomadic) community, are still missing, while more than 1 000 people stranded by the flood waters have been rescued by ANSF.

Kandahar's Deputy Governor Abdul Hanan Moneeb said the flooding was the worst in seven years, with many nomadic herders camped in the area swept away by the floodwaters along with their livestock.

Reports suggest that 85% of Farah city in Afghanistan has been flooded and the majority of roads are closed, hampering movement throughout the city, UN OCHA reported March 3.

Local authorities and private construction companies are working to remove the debris caused by the floods and re-open the roads. The highway between Hirat and Farah is reportedly flooded and two cars traveling on that road were swept away by flood waters.

As a result of the floods, telecommunications are down, hampering communication between flood-affected people, local authorities and humanitarian partners.

In Hirat, flooding has been reported in Shindand, Zawol, Zirkoh, Pashtunzarghun and Obe districts. In Shindand 200 houses have reportedly been swept away. The full extent of the damage in other affected districts is still being assessed.

Four people died as a result of the flood in Sistan and Baluchestan province, while one person died as a result of a snowstorm in West Azerbaijan province, Salimi said.

Heavy rain and snowfall left at least 13 people dead and dozens injured in Pakistan's Balochistan. An official said March 4 that the severe weather that started March 2 hit a large part of the province and caused destruction on a large scale.

An emergency was declared in the flooded district of Qila Abdullah by the provincial government and the army’s help was sought to aid the local administration in rescue and relief efforts. "An alert has been issued due to the alarming flood situation," said a provincial government official.